Best Present Ever
by LyricsArePoetry
Summary: For Stephen. Better late than never! Sort of follow on to 'Inquisitive Student'


A/N: For my friend Stephen. Sorry it's so late! In my defence I showed him the beginning on his actual birthday. When I showed him how I originally wrote it he moaned 'Like I wouldn't know who the Doctor was' so when I changed it so he knew who the Doctor was. And now I've finished it :-P! R&R

Best Present Ever:

'Doctor, we have to go to Earth'

The Doctor looked sideways at Josie, 'Who's in charge here?' He asked.

'I am,' Josie replied with an innocent smile.

The Doctor sighed. 'Why do we _have _to go to Earth?'

'To pick someone up,' said Josie.

'Josie, this is not a place for random strays. Honestly, first time I meet you it's a lost cat...'

'Alien Cat.'

'Alien Cat,' the Doctor corrected, 'now it's a random person from Earth. Where on Earth?'

'Exeter.'

'I thought you were happy to leave that place and never return to it?' Quizzed the Doctor.

'I was, but this is important,' Josie told him. 'So now Earth.'

'And what if I don't want to?' asked the Doctor.

Josie stared at him. 'I'm prepared to scream, _loudly. _And if that doesn't work, I could always pressed random buttons and see what happens'

'You wouldn't,' said the Doctor in disbelief.

'Try me,' said Josie, looking more serious that ever. 'Or you could just teach me how to fly her so I could take myself there'

'Josie, please, let me keep some feeling of control,' moaned the Doctor.

'Exeter College,' Josie said authoritatively. 'And make sure you land on March 5th.'

'Why? And who's this random stray we're picking up and why?'

'His birthday. Stephen. Birthday present,' Josie answered.

DWDWDW

'STEPHEN!'

Once they had landed in Exeter, Josie ran up to Stephen.

'Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!' She said, jumping up and down excitedly in front of him.

'Josie!' Stephen looked shocked to see her. 'Where have you been for the last forever? You basically vanished into thin air.'

'Well not technically,' Josie replied. 'It doesn't matter. Well it does, obviously it does...'

'Charlotte said you were going on about The Doctor and then you disappeared,' Stephen said 'Did you find him?'

Josie nodded over-enthusiastically. 'I did!' She paused and added in a calmer voice 'I have the best present ever for you.'

'Is it a book?' Stephen asked.

'No,' replied Josie 'It's better than a book'

Stephen just stared at her. Something better than a book. For Josie to say that it had to be something amazing. After a moment of shock he asked her, 'What is it?'

'Come with me,' Josie said.

'We have a lesson in a few minutes'

'Yeah and I have a time machine, come on'

Josie ran off, causing Stephen to follow her. She stopped outside the blue box that is the TARDIS.

'Welcome to the TARDIS,' she said.

'It's just like when _we _were researching him,' Stephen said moodily. 'Remind me why you didn't find me as soon as you found him?'

'I was too busy saving a lost alien kitten,' replied Josie.

Stephen laughed 'That is actually a good reason.'

'Now for the best present ever, that isn't a book,' said Josie, 'we can take you anywhere in time and space'

'And by "we",' the Doctor said, stepping out of the TARDIS, 'of course she means me. _I _can take you anywhere in Time and Space.'

Josie rolled her eyes. 'He likes to think he's still in charge because I haven't quite managed to convince him to teach me to drive it. When I do I'll be completely in charge.'

'First the TARDIS, next the universe right, Josie?' Stephen said.

'Exactly!' Josie agreed.

'Now I'm scared,' said the Doctor. 'Josie, what would you do if I went into the TARDIS without you and flew away and didn't come back?'

'Invent an emergency to make you come back and...'

'Hit you over the head with a book once you get back,' Stephen finished for Josie. 'Believe me, I've been there'

Josie giggled.

'Ok, in,' the Doctor said, and Josie and Stephen followed him in.

Although he knew it was bigger on the inside, actually seeing it shocked Stephen.

'So, Birthday Boy,' said the Doctor, 'Where are we going?'

'Er...' Stephen didn't have a clue about places so settled with: 'Put her on random'

The Doctor looked at Josie. 'Does he know all about this stuff too? Since Time and Space hasn't thrown him at all.'

'We-ell,' Josie said, 'when I was researching, Stephen was as well. Now on random.'

'Taking orders in my own TARDIS,' the Doctor muttered and set the TARDIS to random.

DWDWDW

'Where are we?' Stephen asked when the TARDIS landed - after falling to the floor.

'The planet Madicorina,' replied the Doctor.

'Uh huh,' said Stephen, 'and what is Madicorina like?'

'Well I would say boring, but I don't do boring,' replied the Doctor, causing Josie to roll her eyes. 'It's quiet, and pretty. The sea is the colour of a burning fire, and circles the whole planet, you can't go anywhere without seeing the sea. The whole planet is level, no cliffs or hills or mountains. Walking around is like....'

'Why don't we actually go out onto the planet and find out what it's like,' interrupted Josie impatiently.

'Fair enough,' the Doctor said. 'After you.'

Josie went to rush out but Stephen stopped her. 'You've done this a million times before, while I've been stuck in Devon. I'm going out first thing time,' he told her, and did so, with Josie following behind quickly.

As soon as they stepped out two human-looking young people ran passed them in a sword-fight game.

'Wow,' Stephen said in amazement. 'Another planet'

'As I was saying' said the Doctor, stepping out behind them, 'walking around is like walking on a beach. The whole planet is like a beach, but the houses are safe. Unlike houses built near the sea on Earth none of these houses are about to get washed away. The sea wouldn't like that'

'The sea's alive?' said Josie and Stephen at the same time, with the same surprised.

The Doctor laughed. 'Sort of, yeah.'

'Explain,' Josie insisted.

'On Earth you always talk about the elements air, fire, water, and earth' started the Doctor.

'And spirit' Josie added. 'In the House of Night series, Zoey....'

'And spirit,' the Doctor amended before Josie had the chance to ramble on about those books. 'Here those four elements are the most important thing. The sea is water with it's purity and power, and fire with it rage and heat. It's also like air because without this sea this planet would die, the same way a planet would without air. It's earth - or rather not earth, since that is just a Earthly term. It's land because it dominated the land, controls most things. And it's spirit, because most people here believe that if they live a good life the sea won't harm them and they'll be left to live in peace.'

'I wouldn't want to live here,' muttered Stephen. 'The sea is the most powerful thing here. That's scary.'

'It's pretty, though,' said Josie

'It's not really scary, Stephen. On Earth the sea has extreme importance - not as much as here obviously - but most people don't even think about it.'

'True,' Stephen agreed.

'Let's explore,' said Josie.

DWDWDW

The three of them spent ages on Madicorina. They explored the different places, tried some different foods, and generally had a good time.

'Didn't I have a maths lesson ages ago?' Stephen asked at one point.

'Stephen!' Josie moaned. 'I bring you-' The Doctor didn't bother to argue that he had brought them '-to a brilliant new planet for your birthday, and what do you say "Didn't I have maths!" Some people are so ungrateful.' She paused and added, 'Yes, yes you did have maths. But time is relative, Stephen.'

'Ok then. Good. So we don't have to leave for ages.'

'I wish I had a book.' Josie muttered.

'I'm so glad you don't,' both the Doctor and Stephen said, causing Josie to smirk.

DWDWDW

'Look at that,' Josie said, once they had left Madicorina and were back in Exeter. 'All that time on Madicorina, and back in time for Maths.'

'You coming to this lesson for once or not?'

Josie sighed. 'I suppose so. I'll catch you up. I have to get something' She went back into the TARDIS as Stephen went on to maths. She picked up a square present which was wrapped in "alien" wrapping paper and went back out.

At the end of the lesson she gave it to Stephen. He opened it to relieve 'Knife Edge' by Malorie Blackman.

Josie smiled. 'Well I had to get you a book, didn't I?' and Stephen laughed.

A/N: This'll probably be the last Doctor Who story I write for a while. I wanna concentrate on Noughts and Crosses stories...but obv i'll finish writing The Head Or The Hearts (sometime!)


End file.
